A Hawaiian Airlines plane has been forced to make an emergency landing after a mobile phone caused chaos on-board a plane after it became “lodged in a seat”.
According to reports, the Airbus A330 had set off from Honolulu and had to stop at Haneda Airport. The incident happened while 140 passengers were on-board.
Staff members became concerned after they noticed an electrical smell coming from the passenger’s phone after it became stuck in their seat. The airline decided to take the precaution to land the plane early.
A spokesperson for Hawaiian Airlines told The Mirror: “Prior to HA457 arriving at Haneda Airport yesterday (April 28), crew members reported an electrical smell coming from a guest’s mobile device that became lodged in a seat. Out of an abundance of caution, our crewmembers declared an emergency to obtain priority handling at the airport.
“The Airbus A330 landed without incident and arrived at the gate shortly after 9 pm local time. All guests deplaned safely, and our team was able to remove the mobile device from the seat. The departure of HA458 from Haneda to Honolulu was slightly delayed. Safety is our priority, and we apologise to impacted guests for the inconvenience.”
Earlier this month, a Hawaiian Airlines plane was spotted with smoke billowing from the aircraft just moments before take off. The frightening scenes were captured at Los Angeles International Airport on April 13. The plane was set to head to Kahului Airport in Hawaii.
Shocking footage showed smoke coming from the bottom of the plane as it was on the runway. The airline later confirmed that Flight 33 “safely aborted takeoff”. According to reports, something was wrong with the nose of the wheel, with vibration being recorded in that area. The nose was reportedly “unstable” which meant that it would be unsafe to fly.
Officials said that the plane turned back to its gate so travellers could get off the aircraft safely. The jet was then sent to mechanics to repair the issue. “Guests were deplaned as mechanics assessed and later resolved the issue,” said a spokesperson for the airline.
The representative told the New York Post: “The safety of our employees and guests is our priority, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience.”
Holidaymakers saw their journey delayed by around four hours following the incident. All passengers were reported to have got off safely, without any injuries.
Get email updates with the day’s biggest stories